Chapter 30

I looked down at my hands, and sure enough my skin was emitting a soft light. “What’s happening?” I was confused and a little scared.

Mark grabbed my hand and pulled me off to the side. “Are you okay?”

Scythe, Percy, Rie, and Jori followed behind us. They all surrounded me, blocking me from the view of the crowd. I could hear murmurs around us, but I tried to focus on what was happening.

“I think I’m okay. I feel like I’m vibrating from the inside out. Almost like something is trying to break free.” I looked at my hands. I felt like I was a night light with the soft glow.

“Adira?” a new voice joined our group. When I looked up, I saw Daniel squeezing his way into the circle. “Are you okay?”

I nodded. “Is this what you meant when you said my powers would emerge? Why am I glowing?”

Daniel looked at me carefully. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it seems like your powers are trying to emerge.”

“We think her emotions are amplifying it,” Rie said. “Try taking a few breaths.”

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. I focused on the feeling deep inside my body. I imagined a small glowing ball in my core. I could visualize it so perfectly. I felt the heat from it warming me up from the inside out.

That’s it! Moon exclaimed inside my head. Dig deeper and release your true potential. It will strengthen our bond.

The glowing ball in my visualization started to dim, and then the light was gone all together. It just looked like a small black ball, sitting heavy in my body. A cold chill spread throughout my body, and I felt strangely empty.

“You stopped it,” Daniel said plainly.

I opened my eyes, and there was a sense of relief on the faces of everyone around me, which I didn’t understand. I felt like something was missing. Why had the light gone out like that? Maybe I wasn’t meant to have powers.

“Maybe she should step away from the party and rest for a bit,” Mark suggested. “She is probably feeling overwhelmed.”

“We haven’t even done the cake yet,” Scythe whined.

“Scythe, there will be future parties,” Percy said. He was fierce with his words, but he touched Scythe’s shoulder in comfort.

I shook my head. “No, I’m fine. We don’t have to stop the party.”

“Are you sure?” Rie asked. She looked nervous.

I smiled brightly, despite how I felt inside. “Positive. Scythe put so much work into everything, and I don’t want to stop it now.”

Scythe jumped up and down. “Okay great! Just wait until you see the cake.” He ran off after that with Percy trudging behind him.

“Those two seem to be getting along better,” I commented, watching Percy and Scythe run off together.

“It’s hard to stay angry with your mate when you are near them,” Rie said. “Or so I’ve heard. I haven’t had a chance to experience that yet.”

I found myself looking over at Mark, and I understood what she was saying. I couldn’t imagine being mad at Mark, even if I didn’t agree with his behavior after we found out Jori was also my mate.

“I’m happy for them, and I hope they can figure out how to work things out,” I said.

“I’m glad they’re happy right now, but I’m a little worried about what will happen when we have to go home,” Mark said. He seemed sad at the thought.

“Not all of you will be going back,” Jori said confidently. He was staring directly.

Rie grabbed my hand and started pulling me away from them towards the dance floor, giving Jori a pointed look. “Come on birthday girl. Let’s go have some fun.”

I felt a sense of relief wash over me as I was pulled away from Mark and Jori. It was too stressful being around the two of them together. “Thanks.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got your back. There’s no need for that kind of behavior on your birthday. Just forget about them and have fun.” Rie let go of my hand when we reached the dance floor. The music kicked back on, and people were already doing their own thing. Rie started dancing around like no one was watching.

I laughed, loving how full of life she seemed. I quickly joined in her dancing, jumping up and down and shaking my h**s. For a moment, I didn’t care who was staring at me. I felt like my old self and completely let go, laughing and smiling as I danced like an i***t. People around us started joining in the mad dancing style, which only made it better.

After a few minutes, I felt a small tap on my shoulder. I turned and looked at who it was, and it was someone I didn’t recognize. She had dark brown hair with bright teal highlights in it. She was wearing a spaghetti strapped dress that came down to her thighs and had gaps that showed her skin on her sides.

“Hi!” she exclaimed over the music. She was still bouncing with the music. “You’re Adira right?”

“Hi,” I said back. “Yep, I’m the one and only.”

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Vanessa. After what Scythe said, I thought I should come introduce myself.” She glanced around her, almost looking nervous. “Is it true that you are going to reunite the pack? It’s been great having Rie and Scythe here. Mark too.”

My stomach sank at her question. I highly doubted I would be reuniting the pack. In fact, once I chose my mate, I was confident the divide would become any bigger. I forced a smile on my face. “I doubt that I can have that much influence.” I didn’t know this girl well enough to go into any more details.

Her face fell a little. “Ah, well that’s unfortunate. I hope you stick around long enough for us to get to know each other a little better.” She looked around again, and something felt off about her demeanor. “Well, I should probably get back to my friends. See you later!”

I turned back to Rie, feeling a little weird about the interaction. I couldn’t put my finger on why, though. She seemed perfectly nice, and she didn’t say anything wrong. I probably just felt weird because of the guilt of having to choose a mate.

“What did Vanessa want?” Rie asked.

“She just wanted to say hi, I guess.” I looked back at where Vanessa had gone, but I could no longer see her.

“Just be careful around her. She used to have a crush on Jori,” Rie said. Her face was tight, and I could tell she wasn’t a fan.

“She seemed nice,” I said. “You don’t think she would do anything, right?”

Rie laughed. “No, the worst she would do is spread rumors about you to her friends. Don’t worry about that though. Everyone knows that group is full of gossips. No one would take it seriously. Hopefully she has grown up since the last time I was around her though.”

“I’m not worried,” I said. “I think I have much bigger issues than a teenage girl gossiping about me.” I laughed at this to stop myself from spiraling into negative thoughts.

Rie and I continued dancing to the music, but it wasn’t long before Rie stopped. “I need something to drink. Want something?”

I shook my head. I was having too much fun dancing, and I didn’t want to stop. “No, I’m good. I’ll be here.”

Rie quickly disappeared into the crowd, heading for the refreshment table. I continued dancing, letting all of my worry go. A moment after Rie left, another person approached me. This time it was a man. He was tall and handsome. He had dark brown eyes and brown hair to match. Something felt familiar about this man, but I couldn’t put my finger on where I had seen him before.

“Hello, birthday girl. Care for a dance?” He held his hand out to me.

I looked at his hand, feeling weird about the offer. “Do I know you?”

“Unlikely. My name is Theron. I thought it would be nice to get to know the birthday girl a little better. What do you say?”

I looked at his hand, unsure of what to make of the gesture. He seemed nice enough, so I took his hand. “Okay, I guess one dance wouldn’t hurt.”

He gripped my hand tightly and placed his hand on my waist. His grip was firm and a little unforgettable. Now that I was closer to him, something smelled off about him. My heart started racing.

“Good.” Theron smiled at me, and something was off about his smile. My instincts were telling me that something wasn’t right. Who was this man?

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two of us, which I wouldn’t have minded so much if he wasn’t staring at me like I was a meal. “So how long have you been with Jori’s pack?”

The man smirked. “Oh, I’m not part of Jori’s pack. I’m not a part of any pack. I would have to be a werewolf for that to be the case.”

My chest tightened. His voice sounded sinister, and a part of me knew who it was before I even asked. “Who are you?” My voice quivered.

Theron’s eyes flashed black in front of me. “I’m the man who is going to kill you.”